Comparison of indium-111 scintigraphy and colonoscopy with histologic study in children for evaluation of colonic chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

Indium-111 leukocyte scanning and colonoscopy were performed in 19 children and adolescents with chronic inflammatory bowel disease to study the correlation of evaluation between these two diagnostic modalities in comparison to histologic study for colonic disease. Seven patients had ulcerative colitis, 10 had Crohn's disease, and two patients had no specific diagnosis after evaluation. The sensitivity of indium-111 scan was 18%, specificity was 62.5%, and accuracy for diagnosing colonic disease was only 37%. In comparison, sensitivity and specificity for colonoscopy were 100 and 57%, respectively. Furthermore, accuracy with colonoscopy was 84%. Our data suggest that the usefulness of scans is limited to patients in whom standard diagnostic procedures are contraindicated. In addition, it is essential to confirm the visual diagnostic impression on colonoscopy with histologic study.